Crysis' highs and lows

Is this shooter worth the hype? We take a hard look at single and multiplayer modes in our in-depth preview

Crysis' single player mode is a far cry from the easy linear levels you've seen in other high profile first-person shooters likeHalo 3. The game is hard, damn hard, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Take the Rambo approach - trying to methodically kill everyone in your path - and you'll die. Charge blindly towards your objective, and you'll die. Fail to treat even the lowliest of enemy grunts as a serious threat, and you'll die.

Using your Nanosuit - which grants a variety of special powers - is absolutely necessary for surviving and completing your objectives. Strength Mode gives you lethal one-hit melee attacks, the ability to jump incredibly high, and cuts down on the amount of recoil you experience when firing heavy weapons. Cloak Mode activates a Predator-like invisibility power that turns you transparent; it's especially useful for sneaking past highly fortified areas. Armor Mode slowly regenerates your health over time, and Speed Mode speaks for itself. Hint: It makes you run faster.

But these modes and your Nanosuit won't make you a nigh-invulnerable one-man army. Despite their lack of any fancy pants Nanosuits of their own, enemies seem to deal - and take - almost as much damage as you, making barging in on a squad of as little as three or four soldiers sheer suicide. The competent AI will also have enemies flanking you, relentlessly hunting you down from the side and behind, making hiding behind a tree while you heal a rather "iffy" tactic.